The city of San Francisco has launched a program to help low-income residents get free electric hot water heaters as part of a larger effort to phase out gas appliances, CBS reported.
Using a state subsidy, the program provides electric water heaters and is intended to prepare residents for upcoming regulations that will prohibit some gas appliances. Getting the word out about the program has been a challenge, though.
LaTresha Tanner and Anthony Alston — outreach workers with Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates — have been working to reach community members about the benefits of electrification and the new program.
"The responses I'm getting, people don't know about it," Tanner told KPIX, per CBS.
Many residents need more information to understand the meaning of electrification.
"Well when I first heard 'electrification,' I thought it was getting electrocuted," Alston said. "That's just natural for someone to think."
Switching to electric home appliances, including water heaters and induction stoves, can reduce energy bills and cut down on the harmful fumes that gas-powered appliances release into homes.
Appliances that run on natural gas emit nitrogen dioxide, causing health issues such as respiratory illnesses. NO2 is also a harmful pollutant. It produces ground-level ozone, which can result in atmospheric warming.
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Upcoming rules that will ban the sale of new gas water heaters in 2027 are part of San Francisco's plan to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero by 2040. The city doesn't want residents to be caught unprepared when these regulations go into effect.
The San Francisco Environment Department hosted an event to inform residents and launch the water heater program, which provides up to $10,000 in rebates to cover the cost and installation of an electric hot water heater.
"I think it's fantastic," climate program manager Cyndy Comerford said, per CBS. "I think a lot of people are very concerned about climate change and their health."
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